Method of shearing and reforming continuous joint bars



Patented Nov. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES` PATENT olv-rica CONTINUOUS JOINTBARS Edmund M. Livingston, Lansdowne, Pa; Application January 1o, 1929.serial No. 331,631'

s claims. (Cl. zei-169) My invention relates to a method of shearing andreforming continuous joint bars, into joint bars of L section. Y

A purpose of my invention is to Vsimultaneously shear Yoff the bottom of.a `continuous joint bar and to form its upper portion into any desiredL section.

A further purpose is to mount shear blades upon cooperating forming diesusing a single stroke of therreciprocating member of the pair to shearoff the bottom of a continuous joint bar and to` suitably reform theremainingportion of the bar to any desired sectional contour. c

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims. l

I have elected to illustrate my invention in one main form only,illustrating however that either one of the two cooperating members maybe movable while the other member is stationary,

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the cooperating die and shearmembers of a machine embodying my invention showing the cooperatingmembers separated anda continuous joint bar in position upon the lowermember preparatory` to the downward movement of the upper member forsimultaneously shearing and formmg.

FigureV 2 isa View of the parts shown in Figure 1 but-With the partsadvanced for shearing and forming.I

Figures 3 and 4 areviews generally similar to structureshown in Figures1 and 2 except that the position of the operating ymembers has beenreversed, the stationaryand movable members of Figures 1. and 2 beingrespectively movable and stationary in Figures 3 and 4,V Figure 3 show-Ving-the members separated and a continuous joint bar on the lowermember while Figure 4 shows the same parts after the upper member hasmoved down for shearing andforming.

Like numerals-refer to like parts in all figures.

Describing in illustration and not inlimitation and referring to thedrawings:-

The trend of present practice in the railroad art is to replace theso-called continuous joint bars illustrated in section in the figureswith the so-called L type of bars.

In the continuous joint bars that are now being replaced a bottomportion has extended downwardly along the outer edge of the rail flangeand then flanged inwardly and outwardly.

The inward flange of the footl of` the continuous bar has extended underthe rail inwardly to near the middle of the rail, the bottom of theinwardly extending flange of one bar reaching to a point closelyadjacent tothe corresponding inwardly directed 'bottom' flange from thebar on theopposite side of the rail.

The continuous joint bars already in use are being modified when removedfromV use by shearing off their bottom portions and subsequentlyreforming their upper portions into L type bars. The many continuousbars-still in servicerand being gradually displaced by bars of the Ltype, are thus affording as removed from service a source forthemanufacture of the L type of bars which have sectional contours somewhatvariant but sufiiciently near those of the bodies of the continuous barsto permit the bodies of the continuous-bars to be readily reformed intothe L bars after the bottom portions of the continuous bars have beensheared away.v Y e Hitherto-the shearing off of thebottom portions andthe reforming ofthe upper portions of the continuous` bars have beenperformed Jin separate operations, and usually the shearing off of thebottom portion of each `bar has required at least two shearing strokes.e

My invention is directed ata pairof cooperating engagement members for,andv method of,

modifying continuous splice bars in which I use aA single operatingstroke ofone of the members to shear away the bottom portion'of thecontinuous splice bar and to reform the upper portion thereof to thedesired L type contour.` 85

I .have illustrated my cooperating members without showing the mechanismfor reciprocating one of the members in that this mechanism may compriseany suitable commercial press mechanism such as is now used foreffecting the operating stroke of a reforming die member,

A typical continuous bar as illustrated in section in Figures 1 and 2has a bodyrportion 5 that is in section very like the section of the Ltype bar and a bottom portion 6 that includes a plate 95 member which inuse lies on the tie, extending outwardlyat'? to some distancebeyond therail flange and inwardly at 8 tol approximately the middle of the rail.

Normally the bottom portion 8 of one continuous bar has been met ornearly met by the corresponding bottom portion of the cooperat- ToorThecooperating shear blades 11 and 12'should They are` be of high speedsteel, such as stellite. fastened to place at the outer `edges of thediemembers inV any suitable way, as by welding, with" the cutting edgesproperlyalined vfor shearing.

The joint bar 15 is preferably softened vbyj suitable heating, to somesuch temperature as 1600 to 1700 F. preparatory to its placement uponthe lower die, the die members being )kept from overheating during theiroperationupon successive bars by suitable cooling.

After a continuous jointbar has been placed so that its body portion 5is inclosed vbetween the membersQ and `10 the lower edge of the plane 17of ultimate shearing should rest alongthe "outer edge of the shear blade12, 4and when 'the upper member'9 startsdown, the operator shoulddesirablyj suitably tilt' the bar outwardlybabout the outer edge :of theshear blade as apivot as to the position shown indot-and`dash,-lFigure1, so

that the downwardly projecting Ynose 16 of f the .die member mayenter'and wedge its way into the space 18 between 'the portions 8 and 19of the rcontinuous `bar, ,the upper. and 'lower surfaces-fof the bodyportion 5 ofthe bar being forced into conformation with the llower andupper die surfaces during ,theshearing Vtravel of fthe upper shearblade.

The bottom portion 8 of ythe bar'is progressivelyspr'ead away from theheel portion 19 during the descent ofthe member 9 and this spreadingaction tends to tear openl the rail fibers at the upper'side of theplane 17 so that when the upper 'blade finally engagesthe connectingportion 2O of the'barith'e shearing which takes place along the fulllength of the bar is relatively easy.

. .One of the advantageous featuresof my invention is the" mountingofthe "shear member 11 upon a nose lthat is adapted to wedge or spreadapart the opposing surfaces of the hookportion ofthe continuous bar.

I am thus able A to shear the bar along the plane 17 which has hithertonot been done, and also make the shearing Vmore easyfin that the bers infront of the shear blade Il .are already under` heavy tension stressesby reason of the spreading of the hook whenthe shear blade engages them.

.It has `been considered lunnecessary to'show .side -yiews of the ,diemembersin that .the ldies are ofA *substantiallyl uniform section. Theyshould besuiciently long to simultaneously cut and form the continuous.bar along its whole l length and the upper and lower shears arev pref-Y `erably parallel and horizontal.

I usually prefer to make the vmember 9 which carries the die for.lforming the side of thebar that engages thev rail and which carries theynose 116, the upper and movable member, with the cooperating member 10stationary but obviously if desired this arrangement may be reversed,and

I have illustrated this in Figures 3 and 4 where 'the' upper member 10corresponds to the lower member 10 of Figures 1 and2 and the lowermember"9" corresponds to the' upper member 9 of n theearlier figures.

. In the arrangement shown in Figures`3`- and 4 the continuous joint'bar15 is' hooked for its full -bar from a continuous splice bar,whichconsists length over the top of the upwardly projecting noseportion 16', the body of the bar extending in between the jaws of thetwo members as beore'except that the bar and dies are inverted ascompared to their positions in the structure of Figures 1 and 2.

The operator preferably suitably tilts the bar so-that the descendingmember 10' presents the outer edge of the shear member along the upperside .ofthe desired shear plane 17', and continuing its downward travelforces the body of the bar to place between the cooperating dies andeffects simultaneous forming and shearing in the'same-{wayfas with theform of Figures 1 and 2.

In operation the continuous bars are heated in a rehea'tin'g furnace toa suitable softening which ismost :desirably 1600 to 1700" F. where theycharacter of the steel used for the shears Willpermit cutting at thistemperature, but

for the purpose of taking yadvantage rather of `105 the specialcharacteristic of this steel, namely, that'lt-will continue to cutefficiently at high temperatures and not because of any thought ofcutting at high speed. Y The capacity for cutting at high'temperaturesii() enables -m'e to cut and form the bars with lower press pressuresthan would otherwise be Athe case and with a lower total energyconsumption bothin the-cutting and reforming operations. Inmakingspecial reference to stellite I have no T1115 thought 4therefore of infact requiring stellite buton'ly of 'suiting thegcutting steel to therequirements-of cutting at thetemperature selected, in which selectionthe advantage of low pressures andvof eiciency atv high temperatureswill be bal- 20 anced as the 'temperaturesv are raised; reaching anultimate balance in the selection of a temi'perature which will differwith theV special views vof the individual designer and with therequirements of thickness of steel at the cutting vpoint, 25

fextent of reforming intended and special char- 'acter of the steeloperated upon.

In-view of-my invention and disclosure varia` tions and modifications tomeet individual -whim 'the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim allYsuoli in so far as they fall within the -reasonable spirit and scope ofmy invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecureby Letters -Patent is:

1. The method of producing an L type splice in supporting the continuous`splice bar -with its web in horizontal position, in shearing the basef-romthe bar in a direction transverse to the web of the bar, whilewedging the base angularly away from the web of the bar, andin-reforming the bar while maintaining the position of `the barunchanged.

2. The method of producing an L-type splice bar of uniform section froma continuoussplice .bar which'has been subjectedto wear, which consistsin heating the bar to forging temperature, 1150 and. While it is stillat forging temperature spreading the bottom portion of the splice barbase away from the foot, shearing oi the base portion from the remainderof the splice bar and subjecting opposite contour faces of the splicebar to pressure sufficient to restore the splice bar to a serviceablecondition, al1 at the same position of the splice bar.

3. The method of producing an L-type splice

